


the heroics of everyday superheroes (or alternatively, how to find love to the beat of staying alive)

by daskey



Series: Sam Arias Week 2020 [4]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Firefighter AU, Near Death Experiences, Paramedic AU, emergency services au, firefighter sam arias, is there anything more starcrossed lovers than this, paramedic alex danvers, the answer is no
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:14:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22824688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daskey/pseuds/daskey
Summary: Sam is a firefighter. Alex is a paramedic. Can I make it any more obvious?sam week day 4: AU
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Arias/Alex Danvers
Series: Sam Arias Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1637104
Comments: 20
Kudos: 182





	the heroics of everyday superheroes (or alternatively, how to find love to the beat of staying alive)

**Author's Note:**

> just fyi this is purely fiction. expect about as much attention to detail as you would get in a tv drama about the emergency services thx

Sam doesn’t hesitate. Ever. She can’t, not in this line of work. 

And when she sees the people leaving the building, screaming about those left behind, she knows she has only a limited window before the fire makes the old hotel inaccessible. 

It’s a split second decision. The exits aren’t secure, there’s no way to tell if they’d be able to get out on their own. Waiting would leave them, in the best of circumstances, with terrible injuries. Worst case- well. It’s obvious. 

She goes back into the building. 

And Alex? Alex is a stickler for the rules. She doesn’t compromise, she knows the rules are in place to keep her safe while she’s on the job. In theory, she knows that she can’t save everyone. She thinks on her feet but she makes sure the risks she takes are calculated. 

She can’t save everyone, and sometimes, she has to make sure that she and her team are safe. 

But there’s just something that changes when someone’s life is on the line. 

Someone that she cares about. 

Sam enters the building. A few moments later, Alex runs in to drag her out. 

_ \-  _

Sam doesn’t exactly make the  _ best  _ first impression, but it’s one that sticks with Alex like gum underneath her shoe. Unpleasant, persistent, and she’s constantly reminded of it every time she takes a step. 

She’s at a firehouse doing another mandatory CPR refresher. She’s as bored of this as the firefighters are, sitting around with arms crossed and passive expressions. It’s a woman’s voice that catches her attention. What she says though? Alex has heard it a hundred times, from many men who didn’t know any better. 

“Hey, doc, can I get a...  _ hands on  _ demonstration?” 

She hears the laughs, loud guffaws from the other firefighters gathered, and it’s instinctive to be on edge at the joke. That kind of joking around isn’t as common with paramedics as it seems to be at places like the NCFD and NCPD. 

She’s done demonstrations before, as part of mandatory training, and dealt with the inevitable jokes from cocky assholes who think they’re original asking for a “tactile” demonstration of mouth to mouth. Usually she just throws them a CPR dummy and lets them have at it. 

But when she turns around to tell off the person who called out, the snarky remark she has planned dies on her lips. 

She’s  _ tall _ , her hair tumbles around her shoulders in waves, she’s got a million-dollar smile and as she crosses toned forearms over the plain grey shirt she wears, Alex wonders if she’s been personally sent to make her job harder. The woman raises an eyebrow, tilts her chin up, and her light brown eyes sparkle with mirth as she gets clapped on the shoulders by her more burly firefighter buddies, but she stands firm. 

She should have thrown that dummy in her chest, right between her red suspenders and told her exactly where she could put that mouth of hers- 

But no. Alex is filled with — not rage exactly, but it’s something weird and she doesn’t like it so it makes her snappish. She’s filled with whatever that strange feeling in her chest is (maybe her heart is finally giving out after the caffeine addiction and the constant drinking) and so she steps up to the taller woman, levels her with a glare and says: 

“Fine. Get on the ground,”

Nobody expects that response, least of all Sam. 

There are jeers and applause and calls from the boys, but Sam can barely hear them over the racing of her own heart, pounding against her ribs. 

Everything she’d heard about the woman had implied that this kind of comment would have gotten her promptly shut down, but she takes her spot on the linoleum and stares up at the ceiling, trying not to make eye contact now that the woman she'd been not-so-quietly spellbound by is now kneeling beside her. 

"Do you mind if I touch you?" Alex asks, and it's something quiet, something only for them. Sam doesn't know why her voice sounds so croaky as she replies- 

"Go ahead." 

She talks about proper technique, gesturing to Sam as she does so. Sam can see the guys when she tilts her head a little to the side, they're laughing a bit as Alex gestures to her chest, showing where the compressions should happen, and she demonstrates a few other things. Cool fingers touch her neck as she talks about pulse. There's another touch on her wrist as well as she lifts her arm- and Sam's suddenly self conscious cause she  _ knows  _ Alex would be able to feel her heart racing. 

There's a momentary pause, where Alex looks her way and gives her a tiny smile. Something so quick - it's a blink-and-you'd-miss-it little upwards quirk of the lips. 

Her palm presses against her forehead, and her other hand tilts her chin back slightly. 

This is it. 

This is the moment. 

"So most of the time we won't need rescue breaths. If you can focus on the compressions, that should be enough to get the person breathing again. But, if you can, you want to pinch their nose closed, open their mouth-" 

She's dead. She's dead and this is heaven. Or perhaps it's hell, a special kind of torture, with this woman holding her mouth open, their eyes meet- 

Then her hands drop. "We'll go through technique for this later with the dummies," 

She tries not to look  _ too  _ disappointed. Alex is getting her hands ready to show everyone how to do compressions. She has  _ very  _ nice hands. Sam tries not to look too interested when her hand rests on her chest-

Then she gets the air pounded out of her chest by the heels of Alex's palms, and she jackknifes involuntarily with a sharp wheeze. 

"And this is why we don't do CPR on a conscious person." 

-

Sam’s days are plagued with thoughts of  _ her _ . She gets herself a cup of coffee, and wonders what it’d be like to be getting a nicer cup at that little cafe by the waterfront, the one with the window sills painted a nice baby blue, with the table outside that always seemed to get the right amount of sunlight. She goes to the fridge and stares at her box of leftovers, and wonders what it’d be like if she had an extra pair of hands to help her out with the cooking every once in a while. Someone who wasn’t twelve — or about as competent as a twelve year old. 

Speaking of twelve-year-olds— 

“Hey, uh, Samantha?” He wrings his hands before trying to rest his elbow on the upper cabinets. He slips, because the laminate is not forgiving, and he just manages to recover while Sam slowly closes the refrigerator and turns to look at him. 

“Hey, Jacobs,” she says, and already by the look on his face, and the tone of his voice, she  _ knows  _ what he’s about to do. “It’s just Sam,” 

“Right, Sam. Sorry,” He laughs, and he’s alright looking when he laughs. He has that boyish charm, but it just... doesn’t do anything for her right now. She feels a little guilty about it, because he’s a nice guy, he’s just  _ bland _ , and he’s not- “I’m just- ha, a little nervous,” 

_ He’s not A. Danvers, Paramedic.  _ But she can’t let that show, so she plasters on a fake smile. “Don’t be. What’s on your mind?” 

“You wanna go out for drinks later after this? It’s just- I heard from the other guys that you weren’t really seeing anybody, and of course it doesn’t have to be like that, it could just be two friends going for a drink or something-“

“Huh,” Wow. Right to a date. She’s probably had all of two conversations with him alone outside of this one right now, so really he has no business being this forward. And drinks? At night? Babysitting wasn’t cheap. “You know I have a daughter,” 

He puffs out his chest, trying to look a little less eager by pulling his mouth into this weird scowl thing, lowering his voice a bit. “Yeah, and- and that doesn’t bother me or anything, you know. I just-“ 

“I haven’t seen her in a few days. I’d rather spend the night at home watching Disney movie reruns with her,” 

“Well, if you change your mind I could give you my numb-“ 

The microwave dings, and she watches one of the more senior firefighters as he takes out his food, gives her a tight-lipped smile, one that’s more for the poor rookie’s sake than hers. She could be microwaving her food right now, she needs to put a stop to this before she misses out on her opportunity. 

“I’m the only woman here. I’ve been asked out  _ plenty  _ of times. You’re literally going to forget you ever did this in three weeks, if you’re still around. Just go back to your table, and try not to listen in too hard over the guys counting out their winnings,” 

“Winnings?” 

“Oh, you didn’t know about the betting pool?” She pops the lid off her container, and starts to stride to the other end of the kitchenette while the rookie deflated like a balloon. “Bye Jacobs!” 

That little momentary awkwardness gives her something to talk about later that day. 

It’s a simple thing. An accident that wasn’t quite severe enough for them to be called, but they have to go through procedure anyways. There’s a little bit of fuel leaking from one of the tanks which they had to deal with, but now they’re just waiting for them to be cleared to leave. 

Standing on the side of the highway leaves Sam with very few distractions, so of  _ course  _ she turns her attention to the paramedic, standing to the side of the ambulance as her underlings deal with some minor shock. 

She has her hands on her hips and is squinting just a bit in the late afternoon sun. Sam thinks she's the most beautiful woman she's ever seen. 

“I just got asked out for the hundredth time today,” 

Alex scoffs. She doesn't turn to look at Sam. “Oh poor you. Why didn’t you take them up?” 

Sam shrugs, flicking a bit of debris off her sleeve. The movement grabs Alex's attention. “He wasn’t my type. ” 

It's a movement so fast she almost misses it, but Alex arches her eyebrow just a bit, curious. “I guess this is the part where I ask what your type is.” 

Sam smiles, and holds up a gloved hand to count what she's listing off. “Hm... courageous, intelligent, compassionate, drop dead sexy-“ 

“One of those things just doesn’t-“ Alex narrows her eyes, but Sam continues. 

“Brown eyes, maybe with that soft butch thing going on, killer jawline that looks so delicious when she gives that little disappointed pout- oh look! It’s you! Right now!” 

Sam gestures at her with a big wide smile, and Alex rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. “Stop being cute, and go do your job. I can see some cops out there that need a statement, and they won’t come near while I’m around,” 

Sam obviously chooses what part of that sentence she wants to pay attention to first. “So you think I’m cute!” she says with a nudge, and they both watch as two police officers come out of a squad car, take one look at Alex, and proceed to give her an extremely wide berth as they go on to talk to the drivers. “Yeesh, even the  _ cops  _ are scared of you?” 

“Some of them remember me from my old job. You’ve never seen a rivalry till you’ve seen feds and city cops working on the same case.” 

Sam turns to face her again, eyebrows raised. “I can’t believe you’ve actually made yourself seem  _ cooler _ , what the heck." 

Of  _ course  _ she'd be the type to say  _ heck _ . Alex uncrosses her arms to push Sam away, but it's about as effective as trying to push a tree. She sways a little, but returns right to where she was. “Shut up, go and give your statement.” 

Alex tries to escape to the back of the ambulance, but Sam follows behind her, surprisingly quick in all that gear. “No! Now I wanna listen to your backstory. Also you can save me from them. Cops are scary. One of the boys’ll go and give a statement," Sam says with a wave of her hand, pouting at Alex as if that'll convince her not to insist that she goes-

“Fine,” she doesn't know why she keeps giving into this woman. Probably it's that smile, the one that's so wide it makes her eyes look even brighter. “But only cause I don’t like cops,” 

“Yay!” Sam fistpumps as Alex opens the back of the ambulance. It's warm out, and Alex doesn't particularly feel like standing out in the sun for longer than she necessarily has to. 

“Come in here. If you touch anything I swear-“ 

“I won’t! I’ll be on my best behaviour." Sam's grin looks way too playful as she glances around the inside of the ambulance, and nearly bounces up the step to get inside. 

“That doesn’t make me as comfortable as it should. Watch your h-“ 

There's a very heavy  _ thunk  _ that makes even Alex wince. 

“-head. Watch your head,” 

Sam reaches up to her forehead, grimacing as she rubs her hand against her forehead. “I can see now that your height is a benefit... or should I say— your  _ lack of _ height,” she pulls her hand back, and mutters. “Oh, I’m bleeding,” 

Of course. Of course she had to be so stupidly tall. “Fuck. Sit down, let me check that out,” 

“I’m fine! It's just a little boo boo. I'm not going to die." Sam tries to laugh at herself, but she’s a little frazzled by the sight of her own blood. 

“That wasn’t a suggestion. Sit down, Sam." 

Sam doesn't know why Alex has her sitting down and playing the patient right now, but she's not exactly about to complain when she's the focus of her attention. There's a furrow in Alex's brow as she rips open a wipe, and dabs it on the small cut on Sam's forehead. 

Sam hisses in reaction, but Alex doesn't stop what she's doing. So Sam reiterates. “Ouch,” 

Alex arches an eyebrow at her. “Does it hurt?” 

“You can’t ask me that  _ after  _ you do the hurty thing. You have a terrible bedside manner,” Sam scoffs, and that gets Alex to laugh, clearly not expecting Sam to be such a sensitive patient. 

“I haven’t had any complaints." She tosses the wipe once she's done, and tilts Sam's head from side to side, inspecting the wound under the lights. 

“Probably because most of the people you get in here are screaming or unconscious,” Once again, Sam is focused entirely on the point of contact between them, Alex's slightly calloused hands, that are gentle, yet firm as she cradles Sam's jaw. 

“You’ve got a point there,” Alex murmurs, inspecting Sam with narrowed eyes. It does get to Sam just a little bit, the careful scrutiny and Alex’s lack of a smile makes her concerned.

“Does it need stitches?” 

“No, head wounds just bleed a bit,” she lets go of Sam's face, and Sam immediately misses the contact. “You’ll be fine, Sam. I promise.” 

Alex turns and goes to the other side of the ambulance, searching for something as Sam sits on the edge of the stretcher, legs swinging. She comes back a second later with a tiny butterfly bandage, and after affixing it to her head she clicks her tongue, and gives Sam a gentle tap on the shoulder. 

“There. All better,” her voice is soft, and she gives her a smile that falters when she notices Sam's expression has changed just a bit. “What?” 

“I think I better go. But thanks for stopping me from bleeding out. You're a lifesaver," 

"I'm actually a paramedic." Alex teases back, and that gets a laugh out of Sam. Alex doesn't know how she managed it, but she would do anything to get a sound like that out of Sam again. 

-

"It's only for a few hours. I promise it won't be awkward. I'll buy dinner next sister night if you show up." 

Kara had suggested she bring her bike. She realises why when she gets to the school and finds it completely full, to the point where there are even cars parked along the road outside. She doesn't realise why till she rides her bike in, and finds the source of the parking issue is a giant red fire truck parked sideways across several parking spots. 

Alex narrows her eyes, but tries not to assume. After all, there are plenty of firefighters that would want to show up to a career day. She’s only seen Sam a handful of times (despite thinking about her nearly constantly) and so she hasn’t had the chance to remember the number of the truck she usually shows up in. 

Kara’s the much loved English teacher, and an 8th grade homeroom teacher at National City Middle School. She’d been struggling to find parents who wanted to come to their career day, so naturally she called in her paramedic sister to give a little talk, and get a free dinner out of it. 

Alex wasn’t about to turn down free take out. 

But right now? As she walked down the hallway past rows of lockers, the never-clean smell of damp walls and grimy teenagers was threatening to send her running for the hills. 

She had no idea how Kara did it. 

It’s like a maze, and she’s lost for several minutes until she finds the numbers she needs on the sides of the doors, and starts counting down, following corners and other corridors till she finds Kara’s classroom. 

Talking to a group of apathetic young teenagers about being able to legally speed (that seems to be the exciting thing, along with the more horrific incidents she’d attended to) is not high on her list of ‘things she wants to do’ but she can totally suck it up. 

At least, she thinks so. Till she gets to the door of Kara’s classroom and looks through the window. 

She’s gesturing animatedly with her hands as she describes something that has the whole class staring in absolute awe. Alex is immediately drawn to tanned skin and gently defined muscle as Sam wears a tight, dark blue t-shirt with NCFD emblazoned on the front, with her red suspenders and heavy yellow pants and boots. 

And her smile is wide, and her eyes alight, and all Alex can think of is that this would be one hell of an act to follow. Even if her job is  _ definitely  _ more exciting than that of what looks to be some sort of businessman standing on the opposite side of the room. 

Her view of Sam is suddenly eclipsed by Kara’s face popping up in front of the window, and Alex nearly jumps out of her skin as the door opens, and Kara slips out into the hallway with her. 

“I’m so glad you’re here-“ Kara breathes, she looks frazzled- she almost always does, constantly overworked and somehow continuing to plaster on a smile despite that. She is about to gesture for Alex to follow her inside but Alex grabs her by the wrist. 

“Kara  _ what the fuck _ ?” 

Kara’s eyes widen. “Language!” she scolds, before adjusting her glasses and returning to her usual voice and not her ‘teacher voice’ “I mean, what-“ 

“I told you about that firefighter and you-“ 

Kara blinks owlishly, before it clicks. “Wait, Sam the firefighter is  _ Sam Arias _ ? Ruby’s mom?” 

Of course. Of fucking course. Alex runs a hand through her hair, and tries not to let whatever this weird mix of emotions is get the better of her. 

The door is still slightly ajar, so Alex can hear Sam’s voice filtering through the open door. “There’s a lot we do, but usually after we’ve gotten people safely away from danger we hand them over to the paramedics,” 

She turns, and gestures to the door, and at Alex with a smile. 

_ Okay.  _ Alex takes a breath. She can deal with this. 

She isn’t sure she can deal with this. 

Sam is a  _ natural  _ with people. She’s charming and charismatic and funny, and Alex feels boring and uninteresting next to her. 

But Sam keeps calling her back whenever she starts going quiet. Finding ways to include Alex in on the presentation, and Alex tries not to get distracted by the soft smile Sam gives her as she tells a few anecdotes. 

It’s afterwards, when the kids are being ushered away from the firetruck (they really enjoy that part of the presentation, that’s for sure) and back to their class, that one of the kids peels from the group to rush Sam in a great big hug. It nearly knocks her over, and Alex’s eyebrows shoot up till she notices the similarities between the two. The same long brown hair, amber eyes, and smile almost too wide for her face. 

“Rubes, you better get back to class,” Sam chuckles, a fond smile on her face as she returns the hug. 

“I know but...” Ruby mumbles, leaning back to grin at Sam. “You were so much more interesting than that insurance guy. Also, you never told me you were bringing a paramedic too!” 

Alex smiles, and totally doesn’t expect for Ruby to then turn around and give her a hug. She isn’t knocked over, but it surprises her nonetheless. 

It’s then that Kara calls Ruby over to join the class, giving Alex and Sam a wave as they go back to their classroom. It leaves them both standing behind the firetruck, Sam with her hands now in her pockets, scuffing her boot against the concrete. 

It’s not silent, but the air between them is noticeably  _ different  _ now. Sam’s not as cocky and confident as she normally is. She squints against the sunshine. She gives Alex a smile that almost looks apologetic. 

“Sorry about her. She’s-“ 

“It’s no problem. Really.” 

They go back to their silence. Why are they quiet? Why can’t Alex think of any way to break this awkwardness? Since when does Sam not have any flirty comments? 

“Do you want a ride?” Sam finally breaks the silence, holding up the keys to the truck with a playful smile. Alex lets out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding. “I can’t promise you the sirens, but I’ve been told that it’s fun either way.” 

“Do you invite a lot of girls for rides in your firetruck?” 

“Actually, I’ve only invited the one. Ruby doesn’t find it exciting anymore. She says it smells too much. I blame the boys.” 

“It’s a better pickup line than ‘hey, want a ride in an ambulance?’.” 

They both laugh, until the sound of the school bell seems to bring them back to reality. Alex finds her own keys, and gestures to her bike. 

“I’ve got a ride but thanks for the offer, anyways.” She starts to walk over to the bike parked a few steps away. 

“You rode in on  _ that _ ?” Sam asks, incredulous. 

“Yep.” Alex grabs her helmet, slides it on as Sam inches towards her truck, her eyes trained on Alex. 

Sam blinks, her expression changes for a moment before she settles on concern, a furrow in her brow. She calls out after Alex- “Aren’t they dangerous?” 

Alex rolls her eyes, giving Sam a sardonic smile. “Your job involves running into fires. I don’t think you’re in a position to lecture me about  _ danger _ .” She flicks the visor down on her helmet. 

Sam lets out a huff, grabbing the handle to hoist herself up into her truck. “Fair point.” 

-

Alex doesn't expect to bump into Sam at the liquor store. She doesn't expect to bump into her  _ anywhere _ , really, except when they're called out to a scene and she sees the red trucks and flashing lights of the NCFD. 

She almost doesn't recognise her, in a sweatshirt and tight jeans. It's the smile that gets that recognition to click. 

"Hey there, stranger," Sam says in that easy way she often does, and Alex swallows thickly as she reaches around her to grab her bottle of scotch. 

"No buildings on fire today?" 

"None that need my attention, since I'm not on," Sam says with a little laugh. When she looks down, Alex notices how long her eyelashes are. "Do you want to maybe-" 

She has to interject because she can feel where this is going. "I can't. Not today. I'm going to my sister's, hence the-" she lifts up the boxed wine in her other hand. It's not something she'd go for,  _ ever. _ It's fruity and sweet and not strong enough to get her properly drunk. "But if you were wanting to go out-" 

"Right," Sam's shoulders slump a bit, and she wrings her hands together. "I was here to buy wine. I'm having a friend over so I thought that you'd maybe want to..."

"Oh," shit. That's not what she'd thought- and she isn't sure why she's now disappointed that Sam wasn't asking her out. Or maybe she was, and this is just a way of backtracking. Either way, they're both standing in the middle of the whiskey aisle. When they stop talking, all they can hear is the clinking of bottles, the  _ beep  _ of a scanner, and the rusty sounds of the store's stereo playing some garage rock.

Sam's got nothing in her hands, which doesn't make sense if she was saying she was going to buy wine. She's in the wrong aisle for that. 

"If you want a recommendation, they've got a special on that fancy French chardonnay," Alex suggests, and Sam's head tilts to the side a little, as if she's confused- "if you were wanting a bottle of red. For you and your friend." 

"For me- oh yes. Thank you. That's- that'll be perfect," 

"It's in the next aisle," Alex points out, and Sam's eyes widen and she swings back on her heels. 

" _ Right.  _ Ok yes of course it is," She closes her eyes, and there's a very real and very familiar expression that flickers over her face. It's only for a moment, but Alex could recognise that flinch anywhere. She's sure she's had that reaction to half the conversations she's had with Sam before. 

She's  _ flustered?  _ Sam? Firefighter Sam with the big cocky smile and the swagger and the suspenders? 

It's oddly cute. Alex can't help but smile as Sam turns the corner so fast she nearly bumps into another shopper, steadying him with hands on his shoulders before she breezes away in a way which leaves both her and the random man staring at each other in silent confusion before Alex finally gives a shrug, and puts the scotch back on the shelf. 

She's going to need to think about this. And she's definitely going to need to be  _ sober  _ for the conversation she's about to have with her sister about Sam. 

-

She sees her leaning against the ambulance, arms crossed and that  _ infuriating  _ smile plastered over her face. She’s lost the heavy jacket, she’s in a grey, form fitting shirt and yellow suspenders, and Alex tries not to think about the totally ripped body that lies underneath. 

“Hey, what are you doing after this?” She asks, all feigned confidence and bravado. She doesn’t make eye contact with Alex at first, brushing some white flakes of ash from her hair, which tumbles around her shoulders like a- 

Alex clears her throat. She can’t leave — can’t get around this conversation — and the fact of it makes her skin hot, it makes her feel cornered, and not in an entirely good way. Sam’s  _ frustrating _ , she annoys her and she  _ flusters her _ which only serves to add to the initial frustration. 

“I’ve just started my shift,” she says, voice clipped. Sam’s eyes widen slightly, and they snap to look at her, almost as if she didn’t expect a response. 

“So have I,” her smile softens her eyes just a bit, and she leans in closer to Alex, batting her eyelashes at her. “So what are you doing afterwards?” 

“I’m going home,” Alex glances away, focused on the safety checks that she’s meant to be doing. Of  _ course  _ Sam has just started her shift. That’s just great. Her words come out in short bursts, as she tugs on straps, flicks switches, and secures things down from ground level. “I’m going to drink, I’m going to reheat some chinese takeout, and I’m going to throw on some trashy late night TV and enjoy it,” 

“Room for one more?” Sam says, and her voice is dangerously close. Alex holds back a shiver, glancing at the other paramedic in the van. She’s pointedly looking away, focusing instead on bandaging a cut on the patient’s arm, but Alex  _ knows  _ she’s listening in on the whole encounter. 

“It’s more of a solitary activity,” 

She expects a witty response, another overt come on, but instead she gets a brief moment’s reprieve, which she realises is because Sam’s brows have drawn in, and a slight pout has set on her lips. “Why do you always push me away? I just wanna be your friend.” 

It’s enough of an unexpected change to have Alex swivelling around to face her, because in that moment she almost sounds  _ hurt _ . She doesn’t want to believe that Sam doesn’t have an agenda, doesn’t want to believe that Sam isn’t trying to get to her to prove a point, to get a laugh out of the guys at her station. 

“Do you?” 

“Yeah,” 

“ _ Just  _ friends?” 

Sam says nothing, and that in itself makes Alex’s stomach churn. She isn’t sure what that feeling is, if it’s from the bad food at the hospital cafe, or from the sheepish smile on the other woman’s face. 

“I have work to do,” 

“I- can we-“ 

“Goodbye, Arias,” she says, climbing up into the back of the parked van. Sam’s shorter than her for a moment, and Alex can tell she’s about to say something, so she quickly pulls the doors shut. They close with a solid slam. 

She looks almost dejected on the curb as Alex peers through the thick glass window in the door, her shoulders slump and Alex almost -  _ almost  _ \- takes pity on her... but then the ambulance siren jolts her out of her thoughts, and she’s finding her seat beside the gurney, back into work mode. 

-

The next time they meet, they both wish it was under better circumstances. 

There aren’t enough people on the scene, things are getting out of control. The building that is on fire is an old hotel that hadn’t kept up with the fire code. People are streaming out, hands on their heads, covering their faces. Most had evacuated in time, and are milling about outside, watching the burning building. 

Alex is managing injuries when she hears the shouts of some of the firefighters, which isn’t unusual in the slightest but they’re holding back one of them. A man named Jack, he shouts something but the others are stopping him from pulling away towards the building. 

He grabs the front of the jacket of one of the firefighters who is trying desperately to bring him to the ambulances but he’s fighting back, pushing, screaming at them. 

“She’s still in there! She didn’t get out, I could just- she’s right near the entrance!” He cries, and the next thing he says sends Alex’s blood running cold. It’s exactly what she didn’t want to believe. “Sam is still in there!” 

And she’s running, pounding steps against the ground, but no part of her brain is free to think about the pain in her left leg right now. 

Every part of her brain is screaming out at her. To get there, to get to her. To get her safe. 

She’s bursting past the containment lines, she hears the shouts of the firefighters, feels a gloved hand reach towards her but she shrugs it off, and heads right for the wide open front doors, into the acrid smoke that burns her lungs, it doesn’t slow her down. 

The ash falling from the ceiling, the searing heat, it doesn’t slow her down. She can barely see, she’s in a reception area, there’s a hollow roar, the space is alive. It’s  _ burning _ , there’s the cracking of wood beams, the ceiling is caving in places, she can only see to about a foot in front of her, and it’s so  _ hot _ , this smoke is billowing and filling her lungs. 

And she hacks, and coughs, and remembers vaguely to get herself lower, she crouches on the debris-ridden ground, and she calls out again- 

But would she be able to hear? Through the roar of the fire — how does Sam deal with this, the sweat running down her skin, the burning of her very eyeballs, the intrinsic  _ fear  _ that comes with being in a space that is bad, with every intent to kill her — Alex can’t hear any response, because every part of her is yearning and crying out and desperate and panicked and — 

Another crash, and she’s backing up as more of the ceiling falls down in the place she was just standing. She collides with a wall on her side — when did that get there? — and then- 

She hears it, and she knows. Through all the noise, and the chaos, it all clears up, and it’s through burning, tear ridden eyes that she sees movement up ahead, sees something turn towards her. 

A hand, outstretched. 

“Al- _ Alex,  _ no...” 

And then she’s crawling over, dragging herself through on hands and knees, not caring about the way the jagged debris digs into her forearms, the way the glowing embers hit her skin, hot and sharp. 

She can’t breathe, she can’t think of anything else until her hand reaches Sam’s outstretched hand, and she’s able to feel her, there, alive, clutching at her arm, as Alex grabs at her, at the thick material of her uniform, as she starts to lug her forward- 

Sam screams out in pain as she does so, the sound muffled from her helmet, and then Alex realises the problem. 

She’s pinned. 

Underneath a large pillar, one of her legs is pinned. 

In times of crisis, the human body is able to tap into something incredible, a heightened ability, a superpower; only accessible when the adrenaline is running high enough, when the body’s natural self-preservation instincts have switched off, and an innate instinct to  _ help  _ is awakened. 

In that moment, Sam watches Alex get her hands beneath the pillar that must weigh twice, or maybe three times, her own weight. She watches through the black spots clouding her vision as Alex, shrouded in smoke, outlined in the orange glow of the approaching fire, lifts, muscles straining as she does so, and miraculously it  _ lifts,  _ and she can move her leg- 

but only a bit before the beam’s weight comes down again, as Alex’s strength wanes for just a moment. 

“Go,” she tries to plead, and it’s barely a whisper at this point, her throat rough like sandpaper, and Alex doesn’t even look at her, she’s  _ determined.  _

She tries again, but Alex’s legs are slipping, and the heat only increases, and she lifts it a bit more and Sam gets a brief instant of relief before it’s back onto her and she nearly bites her tongue off with a scream with how the pain suddenly overtakes all of her senses, and she cries out, grabbing at Alex’s hands, pushing her away, Sam’s mouth is running and she’s telling her something, she’s telling her to go, to leave, and it’s falling out without her knowing it. 

But then Alex looks at Sam now, and the look in her eyes tells her- “ _ You’re not dying today,”  _

And she believes her. 

There’s a thought in her mind. Someone to get home to. She won’t die today. She won’t leave Ruby without a mother, she won’t leave Alex behind. 

She closes her eyes, and gives into the darkness. 

-

Sam wakes up to something beautiful. 

She’s in the hospital. The lights give it away, the stagnant air, the smell of disinfectant on everything, the beeps, the crinkle of the uncomfortable hospital gown, but that’s not quite what’s beautiful. 

She opens her eyes, and she meets deep brown, and those eyes are bloodshot and there are dark shadows beneath them and the bad lighting brings out the lines around her eyes. She doesn’t smile, she just reaches for her hand. She holds it between her own, always on the side of too cold, right now they are clammy but they’re better than her own. Sam’s hands — that are still lined with soot underneath her nails, that are dry and rough for some reason, are slow to respond, but Alex knows, she holds her hands tighter. 

And she smiles. 

That’s what’s beautiful. 

She wakes up to a smile. Alive. Breathing — through lungs that feel rough and painful, but she’s alive,  _ alive _ . 

Sam speaks, but the words are grating, croaky. “You saved me.” 

“It’s what we do,” Alex responds, and while her almost robotic voice says one thing, the smile on her face says another. 

-

She’s never been to Sam’s house. Never knew Sam owned a house. She never really thought of it, since she’d only ever seen her in the firehouse or at incidents. 

It’s a nice house in the better part of town, a little two-storey which is just missing the white picket fence (the neighbors have one). Flowers in the front yard, an old but well maintained car in the driveway. 

It’s...  _ neat.  _ And cozy. It fits, even though Alex only knows so much about her. 

Before she can even knock on the door, it swings open, and Alex barely has time to look down before Sam’s daughter is attempting to squeeze the organs out of her like she’s a tube of toothpaste. 

“Oof,” Alex eloquently says, and the girl  _ thankfully  _ loosens up her grip for just a moment, leaning back to shout down the corridor- 

_ “Mom!  _ Alex is here!” 

Then there’s the sound of shuffling, something falling, a mild curse before Sam makes her way to the door, crutches rattling as she gets herself up. 

And actually- it's her. She stands in the doorway with her hands in her pockets, right on the edge of the porch. 

Sam turns to look at Ruby, who doesn’t seem to want to leave. “Rubes, go back inside. I’ll talk to her.” 

Ruby rolls her eyes, and makes air quotes as she drawls- “Okay, I’ll give you your  _ privacy _ .” 

Sam sighs, and turns to look at Alex. She’s looking a little more relaxed now, and she gestures to the crutches, and Sam’s plastered leg, covered in about a hundred drawings and messages from Ruby and her friends at the firehouse. 

“Hey. Your leg’s keeping up nicely.” 

Sam gives Alex a droll smile. “It is. I didn’t know your hospital docs did home visits for fractures.” 

Alex’s smile falls. “Your entire lower leg was shattered. It wasn’t just a  _ fracture _ , Sam. It’s a miracle you’re even up and moving.” 

“What can I say, I’m a superhero. Nothing can keep me down,” Sam teases, only to be stunned by the sudden impact of Alex’s finger at her sternum. 

“You almost  _ died _ . You’re not a superhero, you’re human, just like the rest of us and you’re so stupid with your dumb fucking smile and you’re too fucking good and I almost lost you because you wanted to play the hero and for once in your life can you just-“ Alex rambles, and points at her chest to punctuate every point until she gives in and curls her fingers into Sam’s shirt, and Sam leans in. 

Her crutches clatter to the ground and she’s standing basically on one leg now as she holds Alex’s face with one hand, the other supporting herself against the doorframe. The kiss isn’t the most beautiful, the most restrained. They’re both emotional, and it’s hasty and Alex pulls back with a ragged breath, their noses brushing as Sam tries to chase her kiss. 

“You’re lucky you didn’t die. I would have...” Alex trails off, inching towards Sam’s lips again but Sam doesn’t let her, she leans back with a teasing glint in her eyes. 

“What, revived me so you could kill me again?” 

Alex chuckles, the sound warm and inviting. “Yeah, exactly that,” she says, and when they kiss this time, it’s slower. 

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
